Top invention is no mere Band-Aid

High-tech bandage from shellfish is a winner in university contest

A bandage produced from material found in crustacean shells was among the top entries in the University of Maryland's recent Invention of the Year reception in College Park.

The Office of Technology Commercialization selected three inventions to represent three categories — physical science, life science and information science — among the 135 entries.

The Nano-Velcro bandage, created from chitosan, is designed to prevent blood loss inside its boundaries and also be easily removed without damaging surface tissue. Matt Dowling, a chemical engineering graduate student, and his Remedium Technologies team took the life science honor with the invention. The material can be used in a sponge or a liquid spray to treat injuries, from the operating table to the battlefield, according to the inventors.

Dowling said he chanced upon the invention while modifying chitosan, which has also been touted as a weight-loss product, for drug delivery applications. Although he originally planned to concentrate on chronic wound care, he realized the Nano-Velcro bandages had quicker commercialization opportunities.

"In this environment, people are more willing to invest in something that's going to market in two or three years rather than longer," Dowling said, adding that the invention's value as a medical device also improves its chances.

Remedium Technologies of Rockville, launched in 2007, is part of the university's Venture Accelerator incubator program and is engaged in pre-clinical trials of the Nano-Velcro bandages. Dowling said he hopes to have the sponge version of the bandages out by the end of the year, with the spray version a year or so later.

Remedium has also been boosted with a $100,000 Maryland Industrial Partnerships grant through the university and a $50,000 Maryland Technology Development Corp. grant; Johnson & Johnson covers one-half of the grant.

Other winning inventions were Martin Peckerar's thin film battery, which was as thin as peanut butter spread but could power wireless sensor networks and medical devices; and John Baras' key exchange system, which allows for message encryption and reversal, but avoids the need to communicate keys. The key exchange system was built in collaboration with the Army Research Laboratory.